


Forever Is a Long Time but I Wouldn't Mind Spending It by Your Side

by asaprockme



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, idk what to tag bye
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-11
Updated: 2015-01-11
Packaged: 2018-03-07 04:33:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3161390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asaprockme/pseuds/asaprockme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on an open prompt I found on tumblr, "My parents are coming over in 10 minutes so please put some clothes on."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Forever Is a Long Time but I Wouldn't Mind Spending It by Your Side

**Author's Note:**

> haven't posted anything in a while and had this lying around so I figured, why not? hope you like it :)

When Harry's eyebrows are furrowed and his jaw is set in stone, you know something's up with him. He's pacing around the room, moving from one place to another and checking to see if everything is in order. Are the blinds straight? Is there dust covering the picture frames? Does the carpet look clean enough or should he vacuum again?

He's stressed. In fact, stressed isn't even a grand enough word to describe him right now. He's just one big mess, and his boyfriend isn't helping out one bit.

"Niall," he sighs, rubbing his temples with his first two fingers. Fuck, he's starting to feel a headache coming on. "My parents are coming over in ten minutes so please put some clothes on."

Niall's just sitting there in a pair of skin tight black briefs and nothing else but a sock covering his right foot—he's only got one sock on for fucks sake.

"Ten minutes?" Niall questions Harry, who is in fact properly dressed, hair decently done and everything. Niall, on the other hand, not so much. Harry really wants to knock some sense into his head right now, but he's afraid if he does he won't ever stop.

And now his parents will be here in eight minutes and they've just wasted two minutes having this conversation.

"Eight now, Niall, come on."

Harry looks as if he's going to break down from frustration at any second. He probably just might if Niall doesn't cut the shit.

"Alright, alright," Niall waves him off and goes straight to their shared closet in search for something presentable to wear. Which, to him is probably a pair of ripped-at-the-knees skinny jeans and a loose fitting t-shirt. It's better than nothing, though, Harry thinks. He could still be nearly naked, so he guesses anything is better than that.

Harry's still nervous, though. It's only his mum and stepdad visiting, but that's the thing. You see, Harry's parents aren't very fond of Niall. And that's putting it in the nicest way possible—they just don't like Harry's blond headed boyfriend, honestly.

 _"I don't even know what you see in him,"_  his mother has complained before.

 _"He's lazy and obnoxious,"_ his stepdad added.

Which, okay, those things were pretty true, but like, Harry eventually moved passed that, obviously. Yeah, Niall may be lazy, and yeah he may be loud and somewhat annoying (it all depends on the person, really), and yeah him and Harry were complete polar opposites, but somehow they worked and they have been for nearly two and a half years now and Harry doesn't think anything will change that any time soon.

He loves Niall, maybe even a little more than he loves himself. He just wishes his parents could understand that. He also wishes that Niall would hurry the hell up because they've got two minutes before his mum and dad show up and when his mother tells him she's going to be somewhere at a certain time, she means it.

Harry starts to feel like he can't breathe. Has the world suddenly ran out of enough oxygen to supply its population or is Harry just overreacting? It's probably the earth's fault, honestly.

"Niall, are you done? They'll be here in any second now and you know exactly how my mum is—"

"M'here," Niall interrupts Harry's almost-ramble. Harry sucks in a deep breath, briefly closing his eyes as he mentally thanks his boyfriend for cooperating with him this once. Well, he almost always cooperates with Harry, but whatever.

Harry turns around to look at Niall so they can get going before his mother knocks at the door and has a fit that he hadn't answered fast enough. But when Harry does he finds himself stuck in his tracks. Where's Niall and what has this person standing in front of him now done with his boyfriend?

Niall almost looks... clean. Not that he never does, it's just—Harry didn't even know Niall owned a button up shirt at all. Hell, he didn't even realize he owned other pairs of pants besides the holy ones he always wears.

Fuck, he looks ravishing, Harry thinks. His mouth begins to water and his dick starts to stir in his pants, but no, that can't happen right now because his parents should be here in any second and he doesn't really have the patience to be dealing with a semi in front of his folks at all. So, really, Niall should stop that like right now. Like,  _now_.

"Niall, what—you—I—"

"It's just clothes, yeah? Besides, I might as well, you know? I know your parents don't like me and all and I just want to prove them wrong. I mean, after two years you'd think I'd be able to by now."

Niall looks pretty hurt standing in front of Harry at the moment. He looks kind of vulnerable and open and Harry doesn't like it one bit because this isn't the Niall he knows and loves with his entire existence. Niall shouldn't have to be different for his parents. It shouldn't be this way at all.

"Niall, you don't have to do this." Harry speaks softly, stepping forward to place his hands on his boyfriend's hips.

"I know," Niall shrugs, looking down at the carpet beneath them, subconsciously leaning into Harry. "But I don't mind. It won't be for that long anyway."

Yeah, Harry really doesn't like this Niall at all. He likes his holy skinny jeans and he likes his loose fitting tees and he likes his worn out flannels and snapbacks and cool sneakers. He'd actually prefer that over anything, if he's honest. This just feels so foreign to him. He's not used to seeing Niall this way.

And Harry's about to tell Niall just that, assure him that he likes Niall just the way he is, maybe even sneak a few kisses in, too, but then there's three short knocks on their front door and Harry can just feel the mood being ruined in a matter of seconds.

It's like being hard while you're about to receive a good blow job, but then something weird happens and your dick goes soft in a millisecond. Yeah, Harry absolutely hates that.

And no, Harry didn't just compare his parents' arrival to getting turned off by something. No, that never happened.

" _Fuck_ ," Harry groans, letting his forehead rest against Niall's.

"It's okay," Niall tries to tell him while tucking a strand of his hair behind his ear. Harry knows that not even Niall believes himself right now. He hopes this doesn't end in complete disaster.

***

Harry's mother is... well, she's Harry's mother. Of course when Harry and Niall greet Harry's parents at the door, she goes right in for Harry, pulling him in and hugging him as if he'll disappear into thin air. She kisses his face multiple times until Harry starts to groan and gently push her away. Then she starts to coo about how he's  _'her baby'_  and what not, like he's the most precious treasure on this earth. Niall kind of feels that way about Harry as well, so he can't really say anything.

And then there's Harry's stepdad who tries to be all cool and give his stepson a handshake and one of those hugs men give that make them look like they don't give a shit when in actuality they do.

Then it's their turn to greet Niall and it's—well, it's awkward, to put it that way. Harry's mother gives him this half-assed smile and pats him on the shoulder (she fucking  _pats_  his shoulder) and she's got her nose in the air like those snobby rich people, like she fucking runs this place. News flash, she doesn't run shit, Niall thinks.

On the other hand, Harry's stepdad gives him a weak excuse for a nod and that's it. That's all Niall gets. He's never felt so low in his entire life.

He tries not to show it, tries not to let Harry see how much this actually hurts his feelings, but of course Harry catches on. He sees everything. He's like those night watch cops that sneak up on you at random times. Or maybe Niall's just easy to read. He's going to stick with the latter.

Harry wants nothing more than to comfort him, whisper in Niall's ear that's it's all going to be alright, kiss him until he gets to smiling again, but Harry knows that he won't just yet. Well, at least not while his parents are around.

He's an asshole he knows it.

"So, my Harry, how have you been?" Harry's mother interrupts his thoughts. "Anything new happen lately? How's my boy?"

Harry shrugs. His mum hates when he does that, but maybe he just feels like pissing her off today. Who's asking? "Nothing much," Harry says dully. "Niall and I recently redecorated the living room. Painted the walls, looks nice." Harry smiles as he grabs Niall's hand and tangles their fingers together just because he can. His mum all but gawks at their joined hands, eyes bulging so big that they look like they might fall out. Harry has to try so hard not to laugh, he really does.

"That's, um, nice," his mum clears her throat. Harry is surprised he's not dying from laughter yet. "Let's sit," she suggests, moving forward into the living room before anyone else can agree. His father follows without a word.

Harry starts to follow them as well, but Niall tugs a little on his hand so he can stay back.

"She fucking hates me," Niall whispers harshly. If he looked sad before, he looks downright angry now.

"She doesn't necessarily  _hate_  you," Harry says, "she just—"

"She doesn't like me. I think I got that." Niall rolls his eyes.

" _Babe_ ," Harry all but whines. "This is killing me just as much as it's killing you, believe it or not. But she's my mum, I don't know what to do."

"Well I've got a few ideas," Niall mumbles underneath his breath. Harry can't help but crack a smile. It makes Niall crack one too.

"They'll be gone before you know it, okay?"

Niall nods, squeezing the fingers that are locked with his slightly.

"That's my boy," Harry coos and Niall just swats at his chest. Harry can't help but place a kiss on the blond's lips. It's been too long. And by too long he means just this morning.

"You're so lame," Niall shakes his head.

"And you love it. Now come on or else my parents will never leave."

Niall really doesn't want that to happen, so he pulls Harry into the next room faster than Harry can blink.

He's not sure what will happen next, but he sure hopes that everything will be a-okay.

***

Everything is awkward. The air feels tight, the world feels smaller, and nothing feels right. Harry's mum is so bad at hiding her emotions. Whatever you see is what you get with her. She doesn't even try to hide the fact that she's basically eyeing Niall up and down with a twisted lip and a curved eyebrow. It's like she doesn't even care.

Now, Harry's stepdad is a lot better at this. He's got this really good poker face that no one can beat and Harry just wishes his mum could be as sneaky as his dad someday. Sadly, she's not and everything just feels  _weird_.

Harry can't take it anymore. He loves his mum, he really does, but he loves Niall too. And at the end of the day, he's the one that's in a relationship with Niall, not her, so if he's going to make anything work he's going to put his boyfriend first before anything. He always will.

"Mum, stop looking at him like that." Harry states with a clenched jaw. He's kind of mad, but he's trying not to show it. He's trying to be cordial and what not.

"Honey, I don't a have a clue what you're on about."

Harry rolls his eyes and huffs (also something his mother hates). He folds his arms across his chest and sits up straighter to get a better look at the women who gave birth to him.

"I'm not stupid, mum, you're easier to read than a Dr. Seuss book."

Harry catches a glimpse of Niall from the corner of his eye and he looks as if he's one step away from falling over the edge. He's chewing on the tips of his fingers like he always does when he's nervous or scared, munching on them like he's some kind of mouse nibbling on a slice of cheese. His knee is bouncing up and down too, which is also one of his nervous tactics. His anxiety is on high right now and Harry doesn't like it.

He places his hand across Niall's knee. His mother sends him a stern look. His father isn't looking at any of them at all.

"I know you guys aren't too keen on Niall, but—"

"You don't know that, Harry," his mum lifts her eyebrows.

"Please, mum, you've told me before. Multiple times." She grows quiet. Harry doesn't think he's ever seen his mother's face so bright before. "You don't have to like Niall," Harry continues, "but I just ask you both that you please respect him. I love him, mum, Robin, I'm  _in_ lovewith him and I don't think that's going to change anytime soon. So, as long as he's here, can you at least pretend that you don't hate his guts? Because I plan on keeping him here for a long time, well, as long as he pleases, of course."

The room is pretty quiet for a moment. All that can be heard is the four of them breathing in and out, maybe some noise from outside as well, but that's about it.

Harry's possibly just said one of the best and also stupidest speeches of his life. But, fuck it, he doesn't care one bit because at least his parents know. At least he finally grew the balls to somewhat stand up to his parents and nothing feels better than the way he's feeling at this very moment. It's like nothing—no one—can stand in Harry's way.

"Well," Harry's mother takes in a deep breath. She stands up, she smooths out the crisp, probably too expensive, skirt she's wearing and with a flip of her hair, she opens her mouth and says, "I think we should be going now." Harry isn't sure how he feels about this at all.

"It was nice to see my son again today," she sends Harry a small, not nearly as genuine as Harry would've liked, smile. Then she stops to glance Niall's way. "Niall," she nods once before turning around and heading straight for the door with Robin following in tow.

Harry kind of wants to scream at the both of them, maybe throw a few swear words in here and there, but he decides against it.

It's not fair, he thinks. It's not fair that his parents are these rich snobs that act like they're on a higher level than everyone else. It's not fair that they don't approve of Harry and his relationship with Niall all because the blond boy doesn't live up to their standards. It's not fair that Niall is all comfort and affordable clothing and was brought up from a barely minimum wage family and it's not fair that he couldn't have the sort of luxuries Harry had growing up. It's not fair that Niall is all carefree spirits and messy hair and pizza and wings for dinner and football games in crappy two-star pubs and too loud laughs with halfway full of food mouths and cheap beer, while Harry's all slicked back curls and way too expensive button ups and Italian leather belts and matching shoes and tea and scones and squeaky clean marble countertops and obnoxiously uptight parents. It's not fair that they come from two completely different scenes, two polar opposite upbringings, and Harry's parents won't even accept them because they can't get over the fact that Harry and Niall saw through that enough to try and make it work. It's not fair that they didn't care about all that and his parents did.

But, if this is the way that it had to be, Harry won't even complain. He'll take what he can get as long as Niall can tag along for the ride.

"I'm sorry," Niall mutters from Harry's side. Now that his parents are gone, the room feels slightly better. There's still that leftover tension from before, though. It's still roaming around the room, bouncing off the walls.

"No," Harry shakes his head. He hates how his hair barely moves from slicking it down too much only to impress his unappreciative mum  
and dad. He hates that he has to try so hard for them when that isn't him at all. "I'm sorry," Harry says, creating circles into the fabric of Niall's pants with his thumb where his fingers rest on his knee. "I'm sorry that you had to do all this for my shitty parents. Sorry."

"Your parents aren't shitty," Niall laughs. "They're just—they just have a different mindset than everyone else, is all."

"No, Niall," Harry frowns. Niall shouldn't be defending them at all. It's not his place and it never will be. "They've always treated you like this, they've always disrespected you to your face, at that, and I let them. You don't deserve this, you never have and it's unfair."

Niall doesn't exactly know what to say. What can he say?

"I know that they don't exactly care much for you, and for that I'm sorry. And I'm not sure if they'll ever come to their senses or if we'll even move past this, but I don't care because I love you and that's all that matters. Not them, parents or not, just you and I, okay?"

"Okay," Niall nods, placing his forehead to rest against Harry's shoulder. He's not exactly sure what he'd possibly do without Harry, not sure how he'd survive without him by his side. But Niall doesn't have to think that way because Harry's here, they're together, and nothing else can beat that.

Harry cups Niall's face in one hand, stroking his thumb back and forth across Niall's skin. He closes his eyes and just revels in on Niall's love. It's just him and Niall in this world and no one else. Harry couldn't have asked for it any other way.

"I love you," Harry smiles, breath hitting the top of Niall's lip. It feels good, what they've got going on between them. It feels great.

"Love you, you giant dork," Niall laughs and fills in the gap between their lips, pressing his mouth against Harry's and just like that, it feels like nothing has happened at all. It's almost as if his parents were never here in the first place, almost as if it was just them two all along.

And they kiss slowly, lazily, for as long as they can think about. Neither of them is aware how long they spend doing just that and you know what, neither of them mind. After all, Harry's just in love with Niall and he hopes that this lasts will forever. And if it were forever, Harry doesn't think he could possibly mind.


End file.
